Des Moines East celebrated the draw nearly as hard as the Marshalltown girls’ soccer team celebrated Kinsley Bowie’s first and only goal.

In the end, it was all a wash.

Visiting East scored twice in the final 11 minutes to overcome a 3-1 deficit and spoil the Senior Night celebration that reached its peak when Bowie, a team manager, scored a goal in an eventual 3-3 tie on Friday night at Leonard Cole Field.

Bowie’s goal gave the Bobcats (7-6-1) a 2-1 lead with 19:29 remaining in the match and brought the hometown faithful to their feet.

Having last played when she was “6 or 7,” Bowie had no inclination that she’d score a goal in her final appearance as a Bobcat athlete. She’ll play volleyball at Minnesota West Community & Technical College in Worthington in the fall.

“I kind of practiced yesterday and at open gym, but I’ve never played in an actual game,” Bowie said. “I had all my teammates talking to me, telling me where to go, so that really helped.

“I thought I was just going to play for like 10 seconds and then get taken out.”

Marshalltown made it a 3-1 lead when Claire Bonzer’s cross into the box was redirected by a Des Moines East defender past goalkeeper Katherine Mares-Carrillo for an own goal with 16:47 left, but the visiting Scarlets were never out of the match.

Lesly Diaz scored her second goal of the game on a free kick with 11:07 remaining, and her corner kick led to the tying goal by Jackie Riveros with 6:32 left to play.

The Scarlets (2-8-1) outshot Marshalltown for the game, 13-12, and happily cheered after snapping their four-game losing streak with a 3-3 draw.

“The plan was to honor our seniors and give them the opportunity to shine, even if like Kinsley hasn’t played soccer since she was a little child,” said MHS head coach Kameron Nehring. “All the seniors, being able to put them together because they’ve known each other for so long and let them have their groove, that was just the goal overall.”

Bowie’s fellow team manager Millie Heitmann, a future University of Dubuque women’s basketball player, nearly notched a goal of her own. Moments after Diaz got the Scarlets within one, MHS senior forward Lilyia Christen sent a shot on goal that Mares-Carrillo couldn’t corral cleanly. Heitmann was a half-step behind stuffing the rebound home, and East eventually got the tying goal.

Heitmann was on the doorstep again in the 78th minute when Bonzer’s long shot produced another rebound, but Mares-Carrillo pounced on it just in time.

“The girls played with it and adjusted very quick,” Nehring said of the senior-laden game plan. “I’m not sure what was going through their heads, but at the time, they put it on the field and we did amazing things. It was great. They wanted to play and they wanted to be there and honor their seniors. Kinsley scored her goal and it was electric.”

Bowie and Heitmann were convinced to be a part of the soccer team by junior basketball teammates Frankie Long and Keira Halsted, and the results were positively mixed on this night.

“I think everybody was confident in us, but it definitely was a change for them,” Bowie said. “But they held their ground and helped us score.

“It means a lot, it was great. My teammates helped me a lot and they made it special. It was a great way to end my Bobcat sports career.”

Bonzer scored the first goal of the match on an assist from Itzabella Meraz with 4:06 left in the first half, and Diaz knotted things up by converting a penalty kick in the 47th minute after the Bobcats where whistled for a handball in the box.

Bonzer assisted on Bowie’s goal and was the final Bobcat to touch the eventual own goal that made it 3-1 before East rallied.

“We had a great time, it was a great game overall, so we’re hoping that we keep this momentum going into Tuesday against Ottumwa,” Nehring said.